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Cusaelli crime family
The Los Santos crime family, otherwise known as the Cusaelli crime family, is an which has a deep rooted history in west coast organized crime dating back to the early twentieth century. The family itself is named after its second boss Aladena "The Pope" Cusaelli, who held leadership at the time of the group's first media exposure in "The Vatican Trials" of 1986. Since the 80s, law enforcement have been active in their efforts against the through their investigative procedure known as the . Due to this, and the smaller population of Italians in comparison to the east coast, the mafia only holds a fraction of the power it once did within Los Santos. Its illicit activities vary and are constantly changing, though they've been known to dabble in and , , , , , , , , and . 'History' 'Roots' Law enforcement believes the family's primitive roots lie in the of the twentieth century. Giuseppe Di Carlo, noted as the first of the Los Santos crime family, was one of the very first immigrants to set foot in Los Santos in the year 1898. Giuseppe was born in Sicily to a peasant family in 1895. His father, Francesco Di Carlo, a in Sicily, immigrated the family to the west coast of America at the start of the twentieth century in hopes of obtaining greater riches described by the "American Dream." The Di Carlos, along with other Sicilian families new to America, settled into small ghettos centered around what is now known today as East Beach. They incorporated their culture and traditions into the neighborhood and soon, small Italian owned businesses began to spring up within the district. Around the same time, a influx of and families migrated to the ethnic enclaves of East Beach upon the competition of the country's railway systems linking the east to the west. 'Formation' Small gangs began to spring up within East Beach in the beginning of the , consisting of Italian youth from the ghettos who often quarreled with the Irish gangs from neighboring Galway Heights. Giuseppe Di Carlo, a young teen during this era, dropped out of school early to begin an at a Sicilian shop in his family's neighborhood. Along with old school mates he began to dabble into the life of crime, participating in back alley dice and card games and street brawls with the Irish youth. After obtaining a sizable profit from his illegal dealings, Giuseppe opted to quit his apprenticeship and begin making money on the streets. The Di Carlo gang was established sometime in the late 1910s. Unlike other gangs at this time, Di Carlo and his crew began to collect fees from smaller Italian groups in exchange for and planned retributions against the neighboring Irish gangs. His reputation in East Beach quickly grew, and by early adulthood Di Carlo was a respectable figure in the Los Santos underworld. His crew was the largest of the gangs around during this time, and were made up of well disciplined Italian men. 'Prohibition Era' In 1919, the American Government passed the in the . By doing so, products were prohibited from American culture and the began a historical era marked with an intense growth of crime. This era is known today as . All over America, bar and club owners became outraged at the laws and looked for ways to supply their businesses with alcohol products. This gave a huge opportunity for criminals to supply the demands of establishments (illegal taverns) and create lucrative bootlegging rackets. The Di Carlo gang quickly began operations to smuggle in outlawed alcohol products from northern areas such as , . They also used connections in neighboring to move in products such as cheap cigarettes and cigars which they'd then flip on the streets at a discounted price. 'Irish-Italian Gang Wars' Irish gangs flocked to areas such as Verona and began an underground brewing and for beer, rum, and other popular prohibited products. Violent warfare began between these groups, as well as inner ethnic conflicts between rivaling Italian gangs. Di Carlo's main rival was an Irish gang run by Seamus O'Malley, an immigrant from . The two crews clashed in the underworld and began sabotages to each other's . Irish mob members were known to ruthlessly beat down and execute Italian men suspected of having affiliation to Di Carlo. On the other side, Di Carlo organized the arson of O'Malley's most lucrative asset, an underground distillery located in an abandoned warehouse near Verona. With their assets cut, the Irish gang was left disadvantaged and a victim to their Italian rivals. Di Carlo then began a ruthless campaign of recruitment and destruction, sanctioning hits on the top men of O'Malley's crew and finally in the 1920s, the death of O'Malley himself outside a speakeasy establishment in Galway Heights. He also began shaking down rival Italian gangs and forcing their merge into his outfit, positioning himself and his most devoted accomplices as the leadership of an organization deemed by law enforcement as " ." Other Italian gangs at the time pledged their loyalty to Di Carlo's outfit, and were brought under his name as the family's first crews. By the end of Prohibition in 1933, Di Carlo had established the Los Santos crime family in its primitive form. At the top of the pyramid sat Giuseppe Di Carlo, his first being long time associate Alberto Scozzari, and being a trusted friend Tommaso Biondo. '1940s and 50s, Apalachin' The crime family dominated the city's organized crime throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, infiltrating to begin taking advantage of the Los Santos docks. Giuseppe Di Carlo earned a place on along with , and at the time was comparable in their grip of power to organizations such as the . In 1957, the infamous " " took place in the home of New York mobster . The meeting, meant to discuss the division of rackets held by the deceased , held an attendance of over 100 mafia affiliated men from , , and regions throughout the . From Los Santos, consigliere Tommaso Biondo was sent by Di Carlo to represent the west coast family's interests. However, the meeting became subject to a raid by the and over 60 leadership figures were detained and indicted. Among these 60 was Biondo himself. Authorities were unfamiliar with the underworld figures of the west coast, so he was sent back to Los Santos to face trialing for racketeering charges, and for the first time in American history, the true existence of the mafia was exposed to the public. In 1960, Tommaso was behind bars and the family was on the radar of local law enforcement for the first time. Di Carlo had aged into his sixties and was a well respected by other American bosses as mafia veteran. However, his underlings became increasingly unsupportive of his ways as with age he became a greedy, irritable man. Di Carlo and his underboss, Alberto Scozzari, were looked down upon by the men on the streets who felt vulnerable after Biondo's indictment. Di Carlo was also fond of strict tradition and often prevented his crews from using new methods of earning such as drug trafficking. 'Rise of Cusaelli' Aladena Cusaelli, born in 1930, was a hard headed earner who began his uprising in his early twenties. He, along with a crew of other mob associates, began selling discounted cigarettes they hijacked from imports at the docks to earn a sizeable profit. His , Samuel Agosti, grew fond of Cusaelli from the start due to his eagerness to earn and his membership potential. He gave Cusaelli control of various city development contracts he had obtained through the shakedown of construction unions, and Cusaelli began to kick up increasingly large quantities of currency to his higher-ups. This pleased not only his captain, but also the gluttonous Di Carlo at the top of the food chain. In the late 1950s, Aladena Cusaelli became a soldier in the Los Santos crime family. He soon moved into the position of or "captain" after the death on Agosti in 1961. Aladena operated his crew out of East Beach and was a respected captain by not only his underlings, but the other established crews under Di Carlo from areas such as Verona and Downtown Los Santos. As Cusaelli and the other captains grew weary of the family's weakened leadership, plotting began for a to overthrow Di Carlo and begin a new, profitable era for the organization. In 1965, Cusaelli contracted the assistance of the Galway Heights , a group who had long established connections with Aladena and his crew. After a routine Sunday afternoon drive throughout the shores of Los Santos, Giuseppe Di Carlo, Alberto Scozzari, and their driver headed into a car wash in East Los Santos. As the boss' luxurious Lincoln approached a mist of water and soap, Irish goons blocked the entrance and exit of the car wash. Stepping out of their vehicles, the men opened fire on Di Carlo, Scozzari, and the driver with sub machine guns. Before the vehicle reached the end of its rinse cycle, the three occupants were deceased and the gunmen had fled. Weeks later, the Irishmen suspected of performing the hit sanctioned by Cusaelli were found murdered in the . Authorities believe Cusaelli had his men execute them in order to blame the event on a power grab plotted by the Irish mob. accepted this excuse, and Cusaelli was voted into the position in 1966 by his peers. This event also sparked a clash between the crime family and the remainder of the Irish mobsters in Galway Heights who were now crippled by Cusaelli's act. 1980s & the Release of Tommaso Biondo By the beginning of the 1980s, the turmoil in the Los Santos underworld had relatively came to an end as an era of bloodshed between the Italians and the Irish lead to the eventual dissolution of the . Cusaelli, along with former crew members William "Happy" Conte, and Peter "Lead Pipe Pete" Niccoletta, now made up the hierarchy of the L.S. mafia and a new era began of lucrative earning among their underlings. They now participated in the drug trade and, by using connections established with , began supplying the many of Los Santos. It was during the 1980s as well that former consigliere, Tommaso Biondo, was released from prison after a long sentence of racketeering charges. Although old and weak, Biondo posed a huge threat to the family's new leadership. There was a possibility that after finding out what Cusaelli had done, he would either turn to FBI protection or inform . Since the death of Di Carlo, The Outfit had began representing them on . Cusaelli became anxious of Biondo, afraid of the backlash he would receive if his lies were uncovered. On May 13th, 1981, Cusaelli was on his way to a sit down with his captains to discuss Biondo's fate at a mob affiliated restaurant in East Vinewood. When he arrived, a gunmen quickly swerved up to the curb and opened fire. The mob boss was struck with three bullets and was critically wounded, quickly being rushed to the hospital for treatment. The hit was believed to have been ordered by Biondo. However, Cusaelli survived the attempt on his life miraculously after intense surgery. Coincidentally in the on the same day, a group attempted to assassinate . From this event Cusaelli coined his infamous nickname, "The Pope." Two rising mob associates at the time, Richard Fazzari and Salvatore Licata, were quick to take advantage and hoped to gain their into the family. The duo paid off various crews and outfits in the city to find the whereabouts of Biondo. They were given the address of an upscale hotel in Rodeo where Tommaso Biondo was believed to be in hiding. On May 20th, 1981, LSPD received a distress call from the . In the underground parking they found the remains of Biondo and his torched vehicle. Retribution for Cusaelli's injuries were served, and once again The Commission was fooled into believing he was but a victim to an attempted power grab. Richard Fazzari and Salvatore Licata were believed to have been inducted into the family's ranks a short time later. 'The Vatican Trails' Following the death of Tommaso Biondo was the famous "Vatican Trials" of the late 1980s. Henry Roselli, the man charged with the attempted murder of Aladena Cusaelli, cooperated with in hopes of a reduced sentence for his crimes. The boss was arrested outside his Vinewood home on charges related to the of Biondo, although suspected of carrying out the deed, Richard Fazzari and Salvatore Licata were never implicated by Cusaelli in any proceedings and thus avoided indictments related to the murder. However, Roselli also mentioned the involvement of both Peter Niccoletta and William Conte in the plot of Biondo's execution. Cusaelli was charged with and other related charges which landed him with a 25 - life sentence, and his hierarchy also landed themselves in prison on similar sentencing. The media in Los Santos, such as LSNN, latched onto the story and used it for its wide spread publicity, exposing Cusaelli as a mafia boss. From this the family, historically known as the Di Carlo family, was now known to the public as the Cusaelli crime family. Roselli fled into the . His whereabouts are currently unknown. '1990s to Present Day' Throughout the 1990s the family became quiet in their illegal activities as the LSPD began a crackdown on in Los Santos. Several mob associates and alleged soldiers to the L.S. crime family were imprisoned, and crews began to tie up their loose ends through executions and bloodshed. Although remaining off the radar, Salvatore Licata and Richard Fazzari ran the family into the 21st century as a while the administration sat behind bars. 'Historical Membership' 'Boss (Acting and Official)' The boss is the head of the family and the top decision maker. Only the boss, underboss or consigliere can initiate an associate into the family, allowing them to become a made man. The boss can promote or demote family members at will. The Acting Boss is responsible for running the crime family while the boss is incarcerated or incapacitated. If the boss dies, the acting boss may become the new boss, or be stepped over and lose his position as Acting Boss. * 1933-1965 - Giuseppe "Don Giuseppe" Di Carlo * 1966-present - Aladena "The Pope" Cusaelli 'Underboss (Acting and Official)' The underboss is the number two position in the family . Also known as the "capo bastone" in some criminal organizations, this individual is responsible for ensuring that profits from criminal enterprises flow up to the boss and generally oversees the selection of the caporegime(s) and soldier(s) to carry out murders and other criminal activities. The underboss takes control of the crime family after the boss's death. Keeping this power until a new boss is chosen, which in some cases was the Underboss. * 1933-1965 - Alberto "Al Scozz" Scozzari * 1966-present - Peter "Lead Pipe Pete" Niccoletta 'Consigliere (Acting and Official)' Consigliere is an advisor to the boss and the number three person in a crime family. Usually a person of heavy knowledge regarding the operation and actions of a crime family, the consigliere assists the boss by creating a steady-headed and unbiased approach when regarding decisions or choices the boss must make. They are the only member of the crime family which can disagree with the boss's actions and ultimately alter them. * 1933-1952 - Tommaso "Momo" Biondo * 1952-1965 - Vacant * 1966-present - William "Happy" Conte Caporegime Capo (Crew boss/captain/lieutenant/caporegime): a capo is appointed by the family boss to run his own borgata (regime, or crew) of sgarrista (soldiers). Each capo reports directly to the underboss, who gives the capo permission to perform criminal activities. If the family needs to murder someone, the underboss normally asks a capo to carry out the order. The capo runs the day-to-day operations of his crew. The capo's soldiers give part of their earnings to the capo, and the capo gives a share to the underboss. A capo can recommend to the underboss or boss that a recruit be allowed to join his crew as a made man. 'Committees' A capo committee, commonly referred to as a ruling panel, is a group of caporegimes who govern the family during a time when the boss is incarcerated or incapacitated. During such a time the underboss and consigliere positions are replaced, giving the boss better control of the family. * 1992-present - committee Salvatore "The Barber" Licata, Richard "The Duck" Fazzari Soldiers A soldier, also known as sgarrista, soldato, wiseguy, button, buttonman or goodfella, is a made man and has already proven himself to the family. He becomes a made guy after the voting of the captains, who then pass the message up to the boss or underboss. When he is made he takes an oath to honor the family. A soldier is one of the lowest ranks in the crime family but still has much power over associates and friends. The soldier is then assigned into a crew and given a capodecine (Captain). The caporegime gives orders and jobs from collecting money to hits. 'Associates' An associate is not a member of the Mafia, but works for a crime family as an unofficial member. An associate can include a wide range of people who work for the family. An associate can have a wide range of duties from virtually carrying out the same duties as a soldier to being a simple errand boy. This is where prospective mobsters ("connected guys") start out to prove their worth. Once a crime family is accepting new membership, the best associates are evaluated and picked to become soldiers. An associate can also be a criminal who serves as a go-between or sometimes deals in drugs to keep police attention off the actual members, or they can be people the family does business with. In other cases, an associate might be a corrupt labor union delegate or businessman. Non-Italians will never go any further than this rank. Former members 'Alliances with other criminal groups' Category:Organization Category:Organized Crime